Easy Fried Eggplant

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Easy Fried Eggplant is a simple recipe for delicious and crispy, dairy-free eggplant cutlets that are fried to a perfect golden brown.

Easy Fried Eggplant can be made plain or seasoned. Eat in a pita, in a roll or as a side. That is, unless people take them right of the plate as you make them!

Eat right away or make ahead of time and warm up as needed. Perfect for lunch at school or work.

Want another delicioius eggplant recipe? Try Vegetarian Eggplant Parmesan!

General information regarding cooking:

The following information may not particularly pertain to this recipe but rather answers general useful questions related to cooking.

What are the different oils used in cooking?

“High-heat” oils have neutral flavors and have been processed in order to handle high temperatures and are good for sautéing, searing, and frying. These include canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, and grapeseed oil, each with its own “best for” with chefs.

Some oils have their own flavor and are good for sautéing and roasting and add a little extra to the dish. These include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and peanut oil. Extra virgin olive oil works well with roasting or sautéing, but not for deep frying.

Coconut oil is good in dishes where a slightly coconut flavor enhances the dish, and peanut oil is good for deep frying and will add a subtle nutty taste and smell. Many Asian dishes call for peanut oil in the ingredients.

Then there are oils that are not used with heat but rather for dressing up foods, such as sesame oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil, among others.

What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?

When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).

The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it. Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.

Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.

What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?

If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.

What does “savory” mean?

“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.

What cooking measurement expressions mean:

Drop – ¹/₆₄ teaspoon (or less—it’s however a literal drop comes out)

Smidgen – ¹/₃₂ teaspoon

Pinch – ¹⁄₁₆ teaspoon (what you can grab between your finger and thumb)

Dash – ⅛ teaspoon (what comes out when you shake out of a shaker or bottle)

Tad – ¼ teaspoon

Dollop—a glob on a spoon (like with mayonnaise or ice cream)

Scant—a scant cup is almost a cup, just below the line.

Heaping—above the line of the spoon (teaspoon, tablespoon)*

Some useful cooking terms:

Sauté: Cooking quickly in a small amount of oil or fat in a frying pan on a relatively high heat that causes a slight browning of the food on the outside.

Sear: Browning the outside of meat at a high temperature.

Sweat: Cooking vegetables (often onions) in a little oil or fat on a low heat until they become soft and translucent (no browning).

Simmer: Heating liquid to just below the boiling point (has slow bubbles).

Boil: Cooking food submerged in water hot enough to have rapid, rolling bubbles.

Poach: Cooking in a liquid, or partially submerged, on low heat.

Roast: Cooking with consistent dry heat in an enclosed space, over 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake: Cooking with dry heat in an enclosed space, under 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Broil: Cooking with intense heat from above.

Grill: Cooking with heat from below, typically over a flame or coals.

Braise: Cooking already-seared meat in a small amount of liquid in a covered pot.

Blanch: Quickly submerging food into boiling water and then immediately into ice water to stop the cooking.

Steam: Cooking with vapor from hot simmering water from below.

Shred: Creating long, thin strips (not necessarily uniform) of vegetables, like in coleslaw.

Grate: Scraping food against a surface with rough, tiny holes that break it down into very small, fine pieces.

Zest: The scrapings of the colorful outer skin of a citrus fruit.

Mince: Cutting into the smallest pieces possible.

Dice: Cutting into small cubes.

Chop: Cutting into small (bite-size) pieces.

Julienne: Cutting into long, thin strips (like matchsticks).

Glaze: a thin liquid with high-sugar or high-fat coating applied to food or baked goods that gives a shiny look and adds flavor.

Fold in: To gently combine a light ingredient into a heavier one.

Al dente: Cooking rice or pasta to the point before it gets soft (is slightly firm).

Emulsify: Forcing two liquids together that don’t normally combine (like oil and vinegar) into a smooth sauce or dressing.

Deglaze: Adding a liquid to a hot pan after searing meat to loosen the browned bits (called fond) that got stuck.

Slurry: A mixture of liquid and dry starch, such as cornstarch or potato starch, into a paste that is used to thicken sauces and soups. One can use flour to make a slurry as well.

Roux: (pronounced “roo”) is a cooked mixture of fat and flour.

Everyday pantry essentials to keep in your kitchen (suggested)

While not all of these essentials will be relevant to this particula recipe, I have found that this list of “essentials” are great to always have on hand in my kitchen and have saved me numerous sudden trips to the store or having to borrow from a neighbor.

While this is my comprehensive list based on my cooking needs, you should definitely make your own based on yours.

Utensils:

• Measuring cups for liquid
• Measuring cups for solids (flour, sugar, etc.)
• Measuring spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Kitchen scale

NOTE: When using measuring cups and spoons, make sure that the measurements are comparable to one another (example: that 4 tablespoons equals 1/4 of your measuring cup). You’d be surprised to know that not all measuring cups are the same, and this can throw your measurements off.

Seasoning and flavoring:

• salt (my recipes use regular table salt)
• ground black or white pepper
• granulated garlic or garlic powder (I prefer granulated)
• onion powder
• sweet paprika and/or sweet pepper flakes (paprika is ground dried red pepper, pepper flakes are crushed dried red pepper)
• hot paprika, hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper (moderately spicy dried ground chili pepper) for those occasional spicy dishes
• ground turmeric
• ground cumin
• ground cinnamon
• ground ginger
• ground nutmeg
• ground cloves (for pumpkin flavors)
• sugar (granulated)
• brown sugar
• chicken consommé powder / beef bouillon powder (regular or vegetarian)
• onion soup mix
• onion flakes (substitute for fresh onion—3 tablespoons for 1 medium onion).
• various herbs
• additional spices to adapt taste to preference

Misc:

• oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
• coconut cream as a dairy-free cream substitute
• flavorless milk substitute as a dairy-free milk alternative
• cornstarch as a thickening agent
• flour
• baking powder
• baking soda
• bread crumbs or cornflake crumbs (you can make these with your blender or food processor) for coating
• condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce
• tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes—diced or crushed/pasta sauce
• soy sauce (makes a great flavoring for savory foods)
• ready-made pie crusts and dough (to just add filling)

We always have eggs in the fridge and onions, rice, and potatoes on our shelves, as well as pasta.

In addition, having some fresh vegetables in the fridge, such as carrots, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers (various colors), etc., can be very useful when putting together a quick but delicious meal.

It is also a good idea to have some ground meat or chicken (breast, ground, or in parts) in the freezer for anyone who likes meat dishes in a snap.

Weather can have an effect on some of the spices and on the chicken consommé powder, so I keep as many of the seasonings in the refrigerator or freezer as I can, and I keep everything tightly closed in containers (you will be surprised to know just how determined moths are at getting into sealed bags and how hot red pepper powder can attract little black bugs—YUCK!).

Therefore, store your items properly.

Just think, if you already had a prepared pantry, you would have almost all – if not all – the ingredients for Easy Eggplant Cutlets already in your kitchen!

A little about eggplants

The eggplant is native to India and Asia, where it can be found growing wild, and it is believed that eggplants were brought to Europe sometime during the 7th or 8th century.

Australians and Americans call the vegetable eggplant, while in England it is called an aubergine, from the French word for this vegetable.

Because of its meaty texture, eggplant is used instead of meat in some vegetarian versions of meat recipes.

While there are a variety of types of eggplants, the one for this recipe is the large, egg-shaped (or teardrop-shaped), blackish-purple one with the meaty inside.

Eggplants have health benefits, as they contain antioxidants like vitamins A and C, which help protect your cells against damage, and are low in calories.

About cooking eggplant

Eggplants can be roasted, baked, steamed, deep-fried, or sautéed.

Before cooking an eggplant, cut off the top part where the green is (called a calyx). The bottom tip should also be removed, but this is not imperative. The skin is perfectly fine to eat, but it must be cooked well. Otherwise it may come out chewy.

This recipe can use either peeled eggplants or eggplants with the skin (having the skin on will not ruin the recipe).

Eggplant is naturally a little bitter. If you find that to be the case, you can draw out the bitterness by sprinkling it with salt and letting it sit awhile. If you are using slices or pieces, slightly salt after cutting. I have personally never found this to be a problem when cooking with eggplants

Using salt before cooking can help prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil and becoming greasy if using oil with the eggplant recipe (I normally just pat the pieces with a paper towel if need be).

If you do use salt, MAKE SURE to rinse it off before cooking the eggplant, or the salt will become a part of your dish!

Personally, I have never salted my eggplants before using them (and I have used eggplants in two countries) and have never had any problem with bitterness, but if you have any concern, please do.

If a recipe calls for frying, but you prefer not to do so because of the calories the oil will add to the recipe, you can spray with cooking oil and bake instead.

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 servings

Easy Fried Eggplant

Print

Breaded eggplant fried to a delicious and crispy golden brown.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• 6-8 eggs (start with 6, add more if needed)
• 2-3 cups breadcrumbs, plain or seasoned (start with 2 cups, add more if needed)*
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat (approximately 1/4" - 1/3" high).
2. Cut off the ends of the eggplant.
3. Peel the eggplants (or leave the skin on, if so desired—I leave the skin).
4. Slice eggplant into slices of approximately 1/2" wide, either lengthwise or into disks.
5. Pour eggs and breadcrumbs into separate bowls large enough to accommodate dipping the eggplant slices.
6. Dip each slice into egg, then breadcrumbs, then egg again, making sure the slices are well coated.**
7. Place in pan and fry one side until golden brown.
8. Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown (you should be able to easily stick a fork through when they are ready).
9. Remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.

Notes

*Using seasoned breadcrumbs will provide more flavor. If you use plain breadcrumbs, you might want to add your own seasonings. I don't add anything, and they fly off the plate, warm and crispy.

**Many people only use one coat of egg and do not redip after the breadcrumbs, but I make them this way.

Additional note: The amount of eggs and breadcrumbs you will need depends on how well you coat. That is why I write a range of amounts for both. Chances are you will be left with some extra, but having a nice amount allows for easier coating and starting with a smaller amount, and having more at the ready to add if needed helps prevent waste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 523Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 521mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 11gSugar: 13gProtein: 20g

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